[nw_arizona_granny]

INFLUENZA VIRUSES, DRUG RESISTANCE (06) *************************************** A ProMED-mail post ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases __________________________________________________________ Sponsored in part by Elsevier, publisher of Journal of Hospital Infection --------------------------------------- [1] Date: Sat 15 Oct 2005 From: Helen Branswell ------------------------------------ Oseltamivir Resistance - Important Clarification ----------------------------------------------- The case of partial Tamiflu-resistance reported in the Kawaoka report in Nature [see: Influenza viruses, drug resistance (05) 20051015.3014] is the same case as was reported on in the WHO's Manila report in mid-May 2005 [see: Influenza viruses, drug resistance (03) 20051007.2924; Influenza viruses, drug resistance (02): RFI 20051001.2878]. ----------------------------------------- I had been told it was a case that hadn't previously been reported, and I reported it that way. A number of other news reports treated it as brand new evidence as well. But Dr Kawaoka confirmed for me today that the virus he calls A/VN/30408 is the same as A/VN/HN30408 from the earlier report. ---------------------------------------------- -- Helen Branswell ----------------------------------------------- [ProMED-mail appreciates Helen Branswell's assistance in forwarding this information. - Mod.CP] ___________________________________________________________________ ****** [2] Date: Sun 16 Oct 2005 From: Andrea Jones ______________________________________________________________ Attention UK health practitioners --------------------------------- re: ProMED-mail post: Influenza viruses, drug resistance (05) 20051015.3014: In the light of the Nature article, it might be useful if ProMED-mail could draw the attention of UK health practitioners to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence's (NICE) current consultation on the status of zanamivir and oseltamivir. The closing date is 24 Oct 2005, and details can be found at . ____________________________________________________________ -- Andrea Jones ------------------------------------------------------------ [ProMED-mail posts this announcement as a service to the UK health care system. - Mod.CP] _____________________________________________________________ [see also: Influenza viruses, drug resistance (05) 20051015.3014 Influenza viruses, drug resistance (04) 20051015.2999 Influenza viruses, drug resistance (03) 20051007.2924 Influenza viruses, drug resistance (02): RFI 20051001.2878 Influenza viruses, drug resistance 20050930.2863 Avian influenza, human - East Asia (120): Viet Nam 20050901.2589 Avian influenza, human - East Asia (80): Viet Nam 20050519.1380 Avian influenza, poultry - China: antiviral treatment 20050621.1740 2004 --- Avian influenza - Eastern Asia (93): WHO statement 20040716.1935 Avian influenza A (H5N1) virus, human vaccine prospects 20040125.0300 Avian influenza A (H5N1) virus, drug resistance 20040125.0298 2001 --- Influenza virus, neuraminidase inhibitor resistance (02) 20010928.2372 Influenza virus, neuraminidase inhibitor resistance 20010926.2350] ....................cp/msp/sh *#####################################################

[nw_arizona_granny]

AVIAN INFLUENZA - EURASIA (13): H5N1 ************************************ A ProMED-mail post ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases ____________________________________________________________ Sponsored in part by Elsevier, publisher of Journal of Hospital Infection ------------------------------------------------------------ [1] Date: Sun 16 Oct 2005 From: Mary Marshall Source: Reuters alertnet, 15 Oct 2005 [edited] _____________________________________________________________ The World Health Organization's top influenza expert, echoing previous warnings, said the virus could mutate into a form that could kill thousands or millions of people around the world and urged governments to prepare for such a pandemic. _____________________________________________________________ But encouraging news came from China, where state media said a new, improved vaccine for birds had been developed, a low-cost spray that could protect them from the H5N1 strain of avian flu. ________________________________________________________________ The spread of the virus in Asia has been blamed on backyard farms and open-air markets where humans and birds mingle in often unsanitary conditions, and authorities have been unable to wipe it out despite large-scale culling and vaccination. ____________________________________________________________ In Turkey, the state Anatolian news agency reported that nearly 1000 chickens had died in the east, near the Iranian border, after being transported from the west of the country. It said samples had been sent for tests for possible bird flu, but did not say where exactly the birds had been moved from. [Updated information on this event would be appreciated. - Mod.AS]. Turkish officials also said the incubation period for the avian flu found on a farm in the north west was over, and the danger to humans had passed. _______________________________________________________________ The EU Commission in Brussels confirmed that the H5N1 strain found in Romanian ducks was exactly the same as that detected in Turkish birds. "The link has now been confirmed," Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said in a statement. Kyprianou said the European Union had already banned poultry and live bird imports from Romania, so no further measures were needed. EU veterinary experts will meet on Thu 20 Oct 2005 to review the situation, he added. In Romania, pharmacies ran out of regular flu vaccine and local media reported that worried citizens had bought up to 2 million doses of the vaccine in the past few days. _____________________________________________________________ Flu vaccine protects people only against the latest strain of regular flu. Only if H5N1 mutates into a form that passes easily between humans will pharmaceutical firms be able to develop a vaccine specifically against that strain. _______________________________________________________________ In Romania's south east Danube delta area, 6 counties were cordoned off. Television footage showed masked and gloved veterinarians gassing poultry and disinfecting farms in the delta village of Ceamurlia de Jos, part of a cull of more than 60 000 birds aimed at stopping the virus from spreading. The Danube delta contains Europe's largest wetlands and is a major resting place for migratory wild birds -- the carriers of the virus -- coming from Russia, Scandinavia, Poland and Germany and heading for North Africa for winter. ------------------------------------------ Poland, responding to European Commission calls, said all poultry must be kept indoors from Monday [17 Oct 2005] to keep it away from migratory wild birds. "The situation means quite a large danger for poultry in Poland, so I decided to impose some restrictions ... including a ban on keeping poultry in open spaces," Farm Minister Jerzy Pilarczyk told a news conference. [byline: Martin Dokoupil] _____________________________________________________________ ****** [2] Date: Sun 16 Oct 2005 From: ProMED-mail Source: Haaretz, 16 Oct 2005 [edited] _______________________________________________________________ Agriculture ministry buys 8 million doses of avian flu vaccine ----------------------------------------------- The Agriculture Ministry has purchased 8 million doses of vaccine for the 2 violent strains of avian flu, H-7 and H-5, it was reported on Sunday [16 Oct 2005]. The ministry has also purchased a protective kit prepared for ministry employees who could have contact with infected birds. The vaccine and the kit come from the Netherlands, Israel Radio reported. ________________________________________________________________ Health Minister Dan Naveh told Haaretz on Sunday [16 Oct 2005] that the government will discuss in its next meeting a request by his ministry to allocate ILS 150 million [USD 181 million] for medication that combats the avian flu. ___________________________________________ Speaking at a meeting of Health Ministry officials, Naveh said he will tell the government how the ministry is preparing for a possible outbreak of the pandemic in Israel. ______________________________________ The preparations were being made in the wake of fears that the strain of bird flu currently circulating in the world has mutated into a strain that is dangerous for humans, in which case it could be immune to known drugs. _____________________________________________________________ The Agriculture Ministry has also opened a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week hotline to report birds suspected of being infected with avian flu. The public is asked to call 03-968-1609 to report the location of straying birds that appear to be sick or bird carcasses. --------------------------------------- The ministry announced it has been testing migratory birds and poultry in collaboration with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority to locate infections and examine bird carcasses. So far, all tests have been negative. ------------------------------------- The director general of the Health Ministry, Professor Avi Yisraeli, told Haaretz over the weekend that the main thing Israel has to do now is to have Agriculture Ministry officials watch out for possible cases of avian flu among migratory birds and domesticated birds in agricultural communities. ----------------------------------------- Yisraeli also recommended that residents of Israel go to their health clinics to get the regular flu shot administered around this time every year to babies, the elderly and health care workers. ----------------------------------------- Officials believe that a dose of the regular seasonal flu vaccine may reduce the incidence of sickness in case of an avian flu epidemic, and that the ordinary flu shot could lessen the chance of contracting both viruses together, ordinary influenza and avian flu. --------------------------------------- Fears for an outbreak of the pandemic in Israel emerged after the World Organization for Animal Health released findings indicating flocks of migratory birds nesting in China were responsible for the outbreak outside South East Asia. Israel faces this risk since it is located on one of the major seasonal migratory routes of birds. [byline: Ran Reznik, Amiram Cohen and Assaf Oni] ------------------------------------------------------------- -- ProMED-mail --------------------------------------------------- [The concern of the Israeli authorities is understandable in view of Israel's geographical situation as a crossway of migratory birds on their route from Asia and Europe to Africa. The number of birds annually migrating through Israel in each direction is estimated to be around 500 million; see map _____________________________________________________________ at. - Mod.AS]

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/gen/2005/10/18/news/sarangani.bay.security.tightened.html


Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Sarangani Bay
security tightened

AUTHORITIES are beefing
up security measures along
the Sarangani Bay to quell
possible attempts of other
militant Jemaah Islamiyah
members to enter the
country, officials said.

Glan town police
commander Inspector
Luduvico Ripdos recently
revealed having received
intelligence reports that
members of the
Indonesia-based terror
group with links to Osama
bin Laden's Al Qaeda
network are using the bay
to sneak into the country.

"We are heightening our
security patrol along the
bay to stop the possible
entry of terrorists even as
we validate this intelligence
information," Ripdos said
Saturday.

Glan, lying at the southern
tip of Sarangani province,
is accessible by sea travel
from Indonesia.

It is just three hours away
by motorized boat from
Indonesia's nearest islands.


Ripdos said they are now
coordinating with the
Philippine Navy, which has
a naval station in Glan, in
patrolling the bay.

With its more than
200-kilometer coastline,
Sarangani Bay is an easy
target for illegal entrants.

Sarangani Governor Miguel
Rene Dominguez recently
told reporters that two
more patrol boats are
expected to arrive in the
province from the
Philippine Navy as part of
security beef up in the bay.


"Presently, only one patrol
boat is securing the bay
from suspicious elements,"
Dominguez said.

The governor said any
violent attack in the area
would derail efforts to
attract investors.

"The business environment
would definitely be affected
if ever these terrorists
would sow chaos in the
area," noted the governor.

The officials bared the
heightened security patrol
along the bay in the wake
of the recent bombings in
Bali, Indonesia and also
following reports that two
Jemaah Islamiya operatives
suspected of involvement
in the 2002 Bali blast,
which killed some 200
people, are already in
Central Mindanao.

The two were identified as
Dulmatin and Umar Patek.
The United States
government recently
offered cash reward of
US$10 million and US$1
million for the capture
respectively of the two
bombing suspects.

Major General Agustin
Demaala, commander of
the 6th Infantry Division
that has jurisdiction over
Central Mindanao, said the
duo has reportedly been
hiding in the region.

Demaala claimed that
Dulmatin and Patek have
sought protection from Abu
Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy
Janjalani.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/gen/2005/10/18/news/police.brace.for.rebel.attacks.html


Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Police brace for
rebel attacks
By Aquiles Zonio

SECURITY in Central
Mindanao has been
tightened in the wake of
reports that communist
rebels are going to stage
retaliatory attacks either
against the police or
military.

Chief Superintendent
Danilo Mangila, Central
Mindanao police director,
told reporters here he had
already ordered a
region-wide double alert
status in all police stations
under his area of
responsibility to avert any
attack by the Communist
Party of the
Philippines-New People’s
Army (CPP-NPA).

Mangila said he doesn't
want that the Magpet NPA
raid would be repeated.

The CPP-NPA raided the
Magpet police station last
July and seized all the
firearms of the police
without firing even a single
shot.

All the personnel of Magpet
Police command are now
undergoing retraining at
the police regional
command.

Mangila confirmed he had
received intelligence
information about the plan
of the NPAs to launch
tactical offensives to
avenge the capture of their
largest camp in remote
Sitio Amlok, Barangay
Kinam, Malapatan town,
Sarangani Province late last
week.

Top officials of the CPP-NPA
in the Far South Mindanao
Region (FSMR) were
holding a plenum when the
military staged the attack.

Though there was no fierce
exchange of gunfire during
the attack, the communist
rebels were forced to
abandon their camp leaving
behind two flags, Honda
power generator,
subversive documents and
training manuals, medical
paraphernalia and
literature, as well as
several other military
items.

Mangila warned he would
relieve and place under
retraining all personnel of
any police station under
Central Mindanao Police
command that may be
raided by the communist
rebels.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Today in History:
October 17, 1945 - Argentina
Peron Founds Labor Movement
No information provided.

Upcoming Significant Events:
October 18, 1955 - Vietnam
Republic Proclaimed by Diem
No information provided.

October 18, 1977 - Germany, Federal Republic of
German Commandos Free Hostages
West German commandos stormed a plane hijacked by the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), freeing all of the hostages.

October 18, 1977 - Germany, Federal Republic of
RAF Terrorists Commit Suicide
Red Army Faction (RAF) terrorists in a West German prison committed suicide.

October 18, 1981 - Greece
PASOK Won National Elections
The Panhellenic Socialist Party (PASOK) led by Andreas Papandreou won the national
elections.

October 19, (year unknown) - China (People's Republic of)
Chung Yeung Festival
No information provided.

October 19, 1977 - South Africa
Crackdown On Organizations
The South African government banned eighteen organizations and the two largest black
newspapers, while also detaining forty-seven black leaders.

October 19, 1986 - Mozambique
Death of President Machel
President Machel was killed in an airplane crash.

October 20, 1921 - Mongolia
Independence Day
No information provided.

October 20, 1944 - Guatemala
Overthrow of Ubico Regime
An uprising led by progressive army officers overthrew the regime of General Jorge
Ubico, ushering in ten years of democratic rule during which social reforms were
adopted.

October 20, 1944 - Philippines
Landing of MacArthur In Leyte
U.S. forces under General Douglas MacArthur landed near Palao on the island of Leyte,
beginning the re-conquest of the Philippines from the Japanese. An annual
commemorative ceremony is held at the site of the landing.

October 20, 1952 - Kenya
Kenyatta Day
A state of emergency was declared following the Mau Mau Rebellion, during which
hundreds of future Kenyan leaders were arrested. The British were able to put down the
rebellion by the end of 1956.

October 20, 1958 - Thailand
Coup In Bangkok
Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, staged a coup
d'etat and established military rule.

October 20, 1977 - Greece
Killing of Christos Kasimis
Greek police killed Christos Kasimis, member of the ELA terrorist group.

October 21, (year unknown) - Honduras
Armed Forces Day
No information provided.

October 21, 1966 - Japan
International Anti-War Day
Since the end of the Vietnam War, Japanese leftist groups have used this day to espouse
various anti-war, anti-nuclear, and anti-security treaty themes.

October 21, 1966 - Japan
Work Began On Narita Airport
Ten days of demonstrations usually occur around this anniversary.

October 21, 1969 - Somalia
Siad Barre Seizes Power
The anniversary of the seizure of power is known as National Day.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051017/wl_nm/turkey_rebels_dc;_ylt=AlL0l36ZP7zVfsy8P5JuZi5vaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

Turkish troops kill three Maoist militants
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 6:17am
Turkish troops killed three Maoist militants in eastern Turkey on Monday
during operations which are also aimed against Kurdish rebels before
the onset of the harsh winter in the mountainous region. Security
officials said soldiers killed the three Maoist Communist Party-People's
Liberation Army (MKP-HKO) rebels in a clash near the village of Gozeler
in the province of Tunceli.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051016/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan;_ylt=AjXlGV1dAQ5KKKhQAH8CkiFvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

Afghan Election Staffers Fired for Fraud
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 6:19am
Election authorities said Sunday that they have fired about 50 employees
for suspected fraud in last month's legislative polls, while human rights
advocates warned that about half of the winning candidates are believed
to have links to armed groups. The latest fighting, meanwhile, left eight
insurgents dead and two British warplanes damaged.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.cnn.com./2005/WORLD/meast/10/16/iraq.arabview.ap/index.html

Arab press split on Iraq's future
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 6:28am
Iraq may be on the road to recovery after its landmark constitutional
referendum, some Arab newspapers predicted Sunday, while others
suggested bloodier days were still ahead regardless of the vote
outcome. Ahmed Al-Jarallah, editor-in-chief of Kuwait's
English-language Arab Times, wrote that Iraqis scored a victory by
voting on a new constitution despite three decades of Saddam Hussein's
oppression, two years of rampant insurgent-led violence and post-U.S.
invasion interference from Iran and Syria.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4348730.stm

Venezuela to fully join Mercosur
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 6:36am
Venezuela is to become a permanent member of the South American
trade bloc Mercosur. The country's addition would be formalised in
December, said an official from Uruguay, the current president of the
bloc. The Venezuelan government welcomed the announcement, saying
its membership would strengthen Mercosur.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4344990.stm

Sri Lanka 'in a subversive war'
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 6:40am
A Norwegian peace envoy has said the Sri Lankan government and Tamil
Tiger rebels are locked in a "subversive war" that threatens the
three-year truce. Maj Gen Trond Furuhovde, former head of international
peace monitors, said on a visit to the island that the two sides must
resume stalled peace talks.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200510/13/eng20051013_214015.html

US air strike leaves 10 Taliban militias dead
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 6:46am
Ten suspected Taliban operatives were killed in southern Uruzgan
province as the US air attacks targeted the militants' hideout
Wednesday, provincial governor said. "To eliminate Taliban, the US war
planes stroked militias' hideout in Charchino district this morning killing
10 enemies," Jan Mohammad Khan told Xinhua. The air attacks took
place after the militants attacked a police van and killed six constables,
he added.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/oct2005-daily/13-10-2005/world/w9.htm

US to stay in Afghanistan as long as needed
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 6:47am
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday said US troops
would stay in Afghanistan as long as needed, as Washington tries to
bolster its influence in the region as an antidote to extremism. In a
meeting with President Hamid Karzai, whose government is fighting
insurgents loyal to the Taliban that were ousted from power here by a
US-led war four years ago, Rice said the US goal was peace.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=19379

Jordan, Kuwait allocate funds to combat bird flu
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 9:39am
Jordan and Kuwait have allocated millions of dollars to stockpile
medicine in case of a breakout of bird flu as part of preventive measures
to deal with the disease threat. In Turkey, authorities investigating
chicken deaths in eastern regions close to Iran and Syria said initial lab
tests showed no signs of bird flu. Turkish officials also played down the
possibility of bird flu spreading there after its discovery in the northwest.
Jordan's Health Minister Saeed Darwazeh and Agriculture Minister
Muzahem Muyahssen meanwhile told Ad-Dustour newspaper the
government allocated $12.2 million to stockpile medicine in case of a
breakout in the kingdom.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051017/ap_on_re_mi_ea/france_lebanon;_ylt=Akxel5wA0q3QUd3ltscrAHBvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

France Arrests Witness in Hariri Probe
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 9:41am
Police arrested a former Syrian intelligence officer who is considered an
important witness in a U.N. investigation of the assassination of former
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, officials said Monday. Mohammed
Zuhair Al-Siddiq was taken into custody Sunday in the Paris area by
France's DST counterintelligence service, police said. He was the subject
of an international arrest warrant and is expected to be extradited, the
officials said.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=19375#

Rice accuses Syria of stirring up difficulties in Palestinian
camps in Lebanon
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 9:42am
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Damascus on Sunday
of continuing to destabilize Lebanon. According to statements by Rice in
London, Syria is "stirring up difficulties in the Palestinian camps in
Lebanon." She added that Damascus also continues to disregard UN
Security Council Resolution 1559, issued September 2, 2004, which
called for a complete Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon and the end of all
Syrian interference in its eastern neighbor's affairs. It also calls for
disarming all militia in Lebanon, including those of the Palestinian camps
and Hizbullah's military wing.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=19340#

Hizbullah secretary general rejects international interference
in Lebanon
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 9:43am
Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said protecting
the resistance was the only real option available to Lebanon amidst
ongoing international pressure for its disarmament. Nasrallah was
speaking Thursday during an iftar organized by the Commission in
Support of Islamic Resistance in Ghobeiri, in Beirut's southern suburbs.
The Hizbullah leader outlined the main options proposed by various
domestic international actors, dismantling them as he went.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051017/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_lebanon;_ylt=AvSrQfLImEzxDodE9GsgnGdvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

Annan Braces for Hariri Slaying Report
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 2:13pm
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday he is determined to
keep an upcoming report into the assassination of former Lebanese
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri from fanning tensions between Syria and
Lebanon. The Lebanese opposition has accused Syria of playing a role in
Hariri's Feb. 14 death in a car bombing, allegations Damascus
repeatedly has denied. Annan said he expected to receive a report on
the investigation into the slaying on Friday.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051017/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_disputed_island;_ylt=AgfTvYg14GG0v9lNwudvMSJvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

Venezuelan Troops Assert Claim in Dispute
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 2:17pm
Caribbean islands have long been a destination for newlyweds, but this
remote, treeless speck of land isn't on any travel agent's list. Seventeen
Venezuelan sailors now live at a newly established base here, and on
Saturday two couples were married — apparently the first such
ceremonies to be held on the island. Venezuela's mainland is 380 miles
away, but it's asserting a claim of ownership despite the fact Isla de
Aves — Bird Island — is much closer to Dominica, Antigua and Puerto
Rico.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-10-13-marylandfunnymoney_x.htm

Fake $100 bills circulating Baltimore area
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 2:31pm
The Baltimore area is being swamped with counterfeit $100 bills that are
cleverly crafted but relatively easy to detect once retailers know what to
look for, federal authorities say. The fakes have been turning up in
banks along the East Coast, but according to the Baltimore office of the
U.S. Secret Service, the number of bills seized in Maryland is greater
than in any other state from North Carolina to New York. Officials can't
say who is responsible or whether Baltimore is the counterfeiters' home.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=MWXXDZ2ENF4DMQSNDBCCKH0CJUMEKJVN?articleID=172301283&tid=6004

Secure Computing Tries to Block Illegal Downloads in Iran
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 9:41am
Secure Computing said Friday that it is taking steps to prevent Iran from
illegally downloading its software. The announcement comes after
OpenNet Iniative released the latest in a series of reports on
authoritative governments restricting free communications online. ONI
has shown that several countries, including Burma, China, Singapore
and Iran, are restricting Internet access. ONI has found that some are
using American software to do it.

Full Story at link.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/headline/world/3399089

Government corruption at new heights in Brazil
Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 at 2:53pm
Amid the biggest government corruption scandal in the nation's history,
Brazilians sometimes don't know whether to laugh or cry. Consider: An
official from the ruling Workers Party was detained as he tried to board a
flight with $100,000 in cash stuffed down his pants. Then there was the
case of the "events planner" who, after being questioned by
congressional investigators for allegedly providing prostitutes to
politicians, speculated in public about running for office herself.

Full Story at link.